"The trade turnover between the two countries can be ten times greater than it is today. Even the worth of $100 million we are now negotiating is just the minimal starting point in our relations," said the head of the Belarussian state. In 2003, the bilateral trade totaled $21.4 million, which was 23.4 percent up from the previous year. In the first half of 2004, this figure reached almost $16 million.
Lukashenko underlined that the Belarussian side valued bilateral cooperation and intended to promote it. He noted the two states' favorable international relations and their lack of any schemes to harm or cooperate against anybody. "We cooperate for the benefit of the Belarussian and Iranian peoples, for their prosperity and security," he added.
Lukashenko said that all the six agreements signed in the course of the Iranian president's official visit to Minsk would be fulfilled by the Belarussian leadership despite any obstacles.
The sides signed such documents as a treaty on fundamental relations and principles of cooperation between the two countries, a memorandum on mutual understanding between the agriculture ministries on economic, scientific and technological cooperation and a memorandum on mutual understanding between Belarus's emergency situations ministry and Iran's ministry of the interior on prevention of natural and technogenic emergency situations and liquidation of their aftermath.
The summit has also resulted in signing intergovernmental agreements on contacts and mutual aid in customs affairs, on cooperation in the sphere of security, on links in culture, education, the mass media, sport and tourism.
